Botanical classification/cultivar designation: Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium cultivar Sunny Yobianca.
The present invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Chrysanthemum plant, botanically known as Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium, commercially known as a garden-type Chrysanthemum and hereinafter referred to by the name xe2x80x98Sunny Yobiancaxe2x80x99.
The new cultivar is a product of a planned breeding program conducted by the Inventor in Alva, Fla. The objective of the breeding program is to create new garden-type Chrysanthemum cultivars having inflorescences with desirable inflorescence forms, attractive floret colors and good garden performance.
The new Chrysanthemum is a naturally-occurring whole plant mutation of the Chrysanthemumxc3x97morifolium cultivar Yobianca, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 13,761. The new Chrysanthemum was discovered and selected by the Inventor as a single flowering plant from within a population of plants of the cultivar Yobianca in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. in April, 2002. The selection of this plant was based on its desirable inflorescence form, attractive ray floret color and good garden performance.
Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal vegetative cuttings in a controlled environment in Alva, Fla. since June, 2002, has shown that the unique features of this new Chrysanthemum are stable and reproduced true to type in successive generations.
The cultivar Sunny Yobianca has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat with variations in environment such as temperature, daylength and light intensity, without, however, any variance in genotype.
The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be the unique characteristics of xe2x80x98Sunny Yobiancaxe2x80x99. These characteristics in combination distinguish xe2x80x98Sunny Yobiancaxe2x80x99 as a new and distinct cultivar:
1. Upright and somewhat outwardly spreading plant habit.
2. Freely branching habit; dense and full plants.
3. Uniform and freely flowering habit.
4. Small decorative-type inflorescences with elongated oblong-shaped ray florets.
5. Yellow-colored ray florets.
6. Natural season flowering in late September in the Northern Hemisphere.
In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the parent, the cultivar Yobianca, primarily in ray floret coloration as plants of the cultivar Yobianca had creamy white-colored ray florets.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Legend, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 6,404. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Legend in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were slightly larger and more rounded than plants of the cultivar Legend.
2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about three days later than plants of the cultivar Legend when grown under natural season conditions.
3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about one week later than plants of the cultivar Legend when grown under artificial short day/long night photoperiodic conditions.
4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had smaller inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Legend.
Plants of the new Chrysanthemum can also be compared to plants of the Chrysanthemum cultivar Parakeet, disclosed in U.S. Plant Pat. No. 11,323. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Alva, Fla., plants of the new Chrysanthemum differed from plants of the cultivar Parakeet in the following characteristics:
1. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum were larger, more rounded and denser than plants of the cultivar Parakeet.
2. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered about three weeks later than plants of the cultivar Parakeet when grown under natural season conditions.
3. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum flowered more uniformly than plants of the cultivar Parakeet.
4. Plants of the new Chrysanthemum had smaller inflorescences than plants of the cultivar Parakeet.